In a startling interview preceding the release of his new memoir, Charles Spencer – the younger brother of the late Princess Diana – claimed that King Charles III deliberately tried to make him doubt his own recollection of a heated conversation about Diana’s funeral. Spencer described the episode as a classic case of gaslighting alleging that the king told him, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.” The allegation forms a central pillar of the book, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister which seeks to offer an insider’s view of the royal family’s inner turmoil during the 1990s.
The memoir’s most explosive revelations
Spencer’s manuscript does not merely recount the disputed funeral phone call. He paints the late prince as a “petulant child” and a “bellowing buffoon,” describing a moment after Diana’s death when the future king sounded “giddily elated – like a lottery winner.” The narrative suggests that Charles’s first reaction was to consider how the tragedy might free him to marry the woman he loved, rather than to mourn his former wife. Further, Spencer hints at an unnamed royal staff member who may have captured the king’s affection, a claim he admits lacks concrete proof but underscores the chaotic atmosphere surrounding the marriage.
Buckingham Palace’s unusually direct response
Royal officials broke their long-standing silence on a private publication by issuing a statement that, while refusing to comment on books in principle, defended the king’s emotional state. The palace wrote, “His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.” Spencer reacted with surprise, calling the reply “condescending” and noting that it neither denied nor confirmed the quoted words. He emphasized that the passage was included because “it is a fundamental part of the truth of my book.”
Family dynamics and the broader royal fallout
The memoir emerges at a time when the two sons of Diana – Princes William and Harry – remain estranged, their relationship strained since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from senior royal duties. Spencer, who walked beside his nephews in Diana’s funeral procession, said he hopes the book may foster a broader understanding of his sister’s suffering, describing her as trapped in a “gilded cage.” He also expressed a wish that the media treat Harry and Meghan with greater humanity, drawing a parallel to the treatment Diana received in the press. While neither William nor Harry has publicly responded, Spencer insists he is not aligning with one side; his loyalty, he says, lies with “my deceased sister’s sons, both of them.”
Why the memoir matters now
Published a year before the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death, Swan Song is positioned as both a tribute and a corrective record. Spencer claims he could have gone “much further” in his criticism but chose instead to focus on facts essential to the narrative. He rejects accusations that the book is a money-making venture or a personal vendetta, asserting his duty as an “eyewitness to history” to set the record straight. The timing coincides with renewed public interest in the royal family, especially as Prince Charles continues his own public engagements, such as a recent AI summit in Scotland.
By publicly naming the king’s alleged dismissive remarks, Spencer forces a conversation about grief, accountability, and the lasting impact of Diana’s tragic death on the institution that once seemed invulnerable.
